


The Drifter

by gallifreycallsnow



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Big Brothers, Brotherly Bonding, Brothers, Gen, will add more characters as they appear - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-01
Updated: 2017-03-01
Packaged: 2018-09-27 17:46:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10036937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gallifreycallsnow/pseuds/gallifreycallsnow
Summary: Orochimaru kidnaps Sasuke when he is eight for the purposes of raising him to be the perfect host. Regardless, Sasuke is not one to be used, so he kills Orochimaru at age seventeen. From then, it's up to Sasuke to make his own life. Things are more difficult, though, when you can hardly remember who you were before your nine year capture.This story is more telling than showing. Important moments in Sasuke's life ever since leaving Orochimaru.





	

Sasuke emerges from the ruins of Orochimaru’s hideout, panting heavily and covered in a mixture of his own blood and Orochimaru’s. The bright sun hits his eyes and he squints, dropping to the ground as his trembling arms give way. As he rests, he eventually begins breathing normally, and the silence that was previously disturbed by his pants now seems deafening.

Sasuke looks towards the rubble before him, and with some effort, scans the area for chakra signatures. No one left alive. That’s good. Sasuke sighs and turns his head away, before slowly getting up. His muscles ache in protest, but they should hold until Sasuke finds a safe space to rest in.

Sharingan eyes look forward, and Sasuke begins his journey.

-

When he was eight years old, his family was killed by his older brother. Sasuke doesn’t remember much after that, or even before that. He doesn’t know if whoever runs Konoha even noticed his disappearance. All he remembers is the loving touch of a mother, the stern voice of a father, and the adoration of an older brother. Sasuke doesn’t remember his brother’s name, and he is unsure what his brother even looks like. Perhaps he’s dead, gone, just like his parents.

Sasuke’s not sure what to do with that thought.

-

His first stop is at a small inn, north of the hideout. There’s an elderly lady there and she tells him that he can help with the dishes if he wants to stay for free. It’s a mindless, menial task and Sasuke revels in it. It clears his mind and lessens the anxiety in his stomach.

Orochimaru did not teach him about the world. He did not teach him about people, or politics, or history – and Sasuke understands why, at least. Sasuke was never meant to escape. He was meant to grow strong for Orochimaru’s benefit – he was meant to become Orochimaru.

Sasuke’s lack of emotions discourages people. Sasuke struggles with becoming more open. When you are Orochimaru’s apprentice, emotions are not allowed.

-

Sasuke’s first smile since he was a child comes several weeks after Orochimaru’s death. Sasuke’s drifting, not sure of his destination. He doesn’t belong anywhere. He’s drifting across the northern coastline, watching the landscapes pass and shift under his feet. From the rocky mountains covered in dense foliage Sasuke moves west, until he begins to feel volcanic rock under his feet. He makes a stop in a small civilian village, and sits to admire the stormy sea. Hours pass, and Sasuke does not move, until a child not older than five years old approaches him, and asks him if he’s alright.

Sasuke doesn’t respond. The child doesn’t continue. He sits next to Sasuke, drawing his knees up to his chest and watches the sea with Sasuke. Patience only comes with age, however, and this child has no patience. He asks Sasuke what he’s looking at.

“The sea,” Sasuke replies unblinkingly. The child makes a face.

“Iwa’s sea isn’t as pretty as other’s,” the boy says.

“Is this where I am?” Sasuke asks.

The boy nods. “If you want to see something really cool, there’s some awesome volcanoes here!”

“Where?” Sasuke, asks, interested.

“I don’t know,” the boy shrugs. “Papa told me of them. You should try and see if you can find them!”

Sasuke’s first smile is not one of cheerfulness. It’s one of excitement at the prospect of a new purpose.

-

Sasuke has endured the storms of Iwagakure for close to two months. The volcanoes he searches for are nowhere in sight. His frustration is as palpable as the thick heat in the air. Sasuke drops on one of the many rocks around him and scans the landscape. His surroundings are desolate, with not a living being in sight, and his position at the highest point around gives him a perfect view. His Sharingan can see in the night’s darkness without problem.

He doesn’t sense the slight movement right away. It’s the heat he sees first. Flowing out of the dark rock, Sasuke watches the heat dissipate in the air, slowly beginning to be alarmed. He stands, slowly.

To his left, he sees it. A thick stream of bright orange liquid starts flowing out of a crevice on the ground, and, fascinated, Sasuke watches it. It moves slowly, and Sasuke doesn’t need his Sharingan to tell him that the liquid is hot. It’s visible to the naked eye, the way the heated air curls and distorts the shapes behind it.

Sasuke approaches it cautiously, and watches the lava flow. He notices the increased trembling in the ground, but is too entranced by the slow moving lava to pay it any attention.

Two seconds later, a wave of heat hits Sasuke and he stumbles, just narrowly avoiding the lava. He looks to his left, where what looks like a fountain of the same viscous substance is shooting out the peak of the rocky hill.

Belatedly, Sasuke realizes it will land on top of him.

With the speed beaten into him at a young age, Sasuke bolts, just narrowly avoiding getting burned. For the first time in days there’s no rain, but as the heat hits his skin and he sweats through his clothes Sasuke wishes there was.

-

Wishing to get as far away from the volcano and its mind-numbing heat, Sasuke heads straight south. Upon arrival, he realizes that perhaps south was not the way to go as he is now surrounded by desert in every direction. This must be the Hidden Sand, Sasuke realizes. There’s no small civilian villages around, like there had been previously, and Sasuke’s not good enough at water jutsu to be able to summon it out of the air. Somewhat grudgingly, he goes east. He would have liked to see Sand’s capital.

-

The neverending expanse of sand ends with a thick tree line. The vegetation encourages Sasuke and he puts a bit more speed in his run. As quickly as the trees have appeared, Sasuke has already passed them, and found a fairly shallow but clear river to drink from and bathe in. Feeling cleaner than he has in a while, it takes Sasuke some time to convince himself to step out of the cold water. His clothes are filthy – the result of his panicked run from the active volcanoes all the way to desert. Still, he puts them on and continues forward.

The Katabami village is close by. It’s a small, thriving community, and they help Sasuke back on his feet. He is given a room and clothes free of charge, as the old man running the dilapidated inn is a bit blind and confuses Sasuke for his own grandson. Sasuke doesn’t complain, sleeping for twelve hours at a time for a few days. The locals get to know him and, after the owner of a curry restaurant, Sansho, breaks through his placid behavior, she offers him a job in her restaurant alongside her son, Karashi. Although he’d like to stay, Sasuke feels like he hasn’t found his place yet, and he tells her as much.

After a brief moment of thought, Sansho pats his cheek and says, “You know where we are. When you find your home, send us a letter, will you?”

Sasuke smiles, this time for joy. “Yes,” he agrees, because that’s the least he can do.

-

Sasuke wants to see Sunagakure. The locals of Katabami speak highly of its architecture and impressive sunset views. He leaves a letter for Sansho, and tells his blind innkeeper that he is leaving. The innkeeper cries and hugs Sasuke, sending him off with the promise to “visit his grandfather more often!”

This time, Sasuke’s prepared. He knows how long it will take him to reach Suna, so he packs enough supplies to last him twice that time. Before the sun comes up, Sasuke leaves Katabami and heads back west.

A few miles before the border to the Hidden Sand, Sasuke pauses as he notices six chakra signatures fluctuating wildly, which could only mean a battle is taking place. Sasuke is torn; does he want to bypass the fight completely or should he take a look, spot his first shinobi since he killed Orochimaru?

Curiosity killed the cat, but Sasuke’s hardly a cat, anyway. He quietly moves through the forest, dropping down to the forest floor once he’s almost reached the battle, suppresses his chakra, and watches from the undergrowth.

Four men, two women. He scowls when he notices it’s five against one, and moves to help the man dressed in the black and red cloak, when the blond teenager screams a bloodcurling scream which makes Sasuke’s blood ice over. The blond, now doubled over on the ground, is breathing heavily, and when he looks up, his eyes are tinted red.

“You took Gaara, you bastards,” the blond rasps, “I won’t let you get away with it.”

“It’s too late,” replies the other man, in monotone, but Sasuke isn’t looking at him. When he first saw the red eyes, he believed that the blond had the Sharingan. Now he knows better. Watching malicious red chakra seep out of the boy’s pores, Sasuke tenses, mind whirling in thought.

Orochimaru once spoke about the bijuu and their hosts. He described his encounter with the boy holding the Kyuubi – a blond, obnoxious boy, was Orochimaru’s description.

Sasuke rarely ever asked Orochimaru for further explanation, but he did get curious enough to wonder. What can stop a host which has been overtaken by its demon?

 _“The Sharingan,”_ had been Orochimaru’s reply. Sasuke had never understood why the snake Sannin had ever bothered to teach him this, the suppression of a bijuu, but now he doesn’t care to answer that question.

Without much thought – and rather stupidly of him, in hindsight – Sasuke reaches for a kunai and throws it at the demon host. The blond responds how Sasuke had hoped he would – by catching the weapon and turning to snarl in his direction. Sasuke has established direct eye contact.

It’s over in the next second. Time passes differently in the mindscape, and in less than a second Sasuke has suppressed the Kyuubi. In a fifth of a second, Sasuke has learned the host’s name – Uzumaki Naruto. The host itself looks bewildered, standing with Sasuke before the Kyuubi’s mighty cage, and Sasuke is gone before the boy gets a chance to say anything.

Once out of the mindscape, however, it’s a different story. Good shinobi have extraordinary reaction times, and clearly there are a few of them present. His kunai has given away his location, so his next move is to dodge an incoming kick from the pink-haired one. Sasuke grunts as he rolls away, and unsheathes his blade. The pink-haired girl and another boy, one with black hair, corner him from the east, so his only way out is through the battle.

They stay, deadlocked, for a few seconds, when the black haired boy remarks, “Sharingan.”

They both suddenly avert their eyes from his, and Sasuke takes advantage of their sudden panic to pull out a smoke bomb. Now, they cannot see; but he can. He darts out of the forest, faster than they can follow, and attempts to jump over the battle and go on to the Sand Village. A puppet stops him.

Sasuke cringes at the sight of that atrocious wriggling piece of plywood, and loathes the fact that he has an inexplicable fear of puppets. Orochimaru once suggested it was perhaps the result of early childhood trauma. Sasuke doesn’t care why he fears puppets so much, but he does want to get it out of his sight, so his next move is purely instinctual.

As he is moving towards the puppet, he quickly runs through the signs for a fire jutsu, and as the puppet begins heading for him, he releases his chakra. The puppet is incinerated in an instant, and Sasuke lands in a crouch, scanning the battlefield calmly. Battle is, perhaps, one of the only thing Sasuke knows, but he knows it well.

He straightens up and assesses his opponents. He’s not sure who will move to attack him first, as both parties are doing nothing other than staring at him.

It’s the silver haired man who breaks the silence. “O-obito?” He seems shaken. Sasuke looks at him and frowns.

“That is not my name,” he says. The ones on his right aren’t moving; so he looks to the left.

The man dressed in a long, dark cloak is staring at him, and Sasuke looks at his face. Sharingan eyes identical to his own stare back. Sasuke blinks.

Then it clicks. Sasuke’s eyes widen when he realizes he is looking at his elder brother. He sees the moment that his brother recognizes him – he rears back, as if physically struck by something. The battleground is silent. This is Sasuke’s chance to run.

There are too many strange emotions gathering in Sasuke’s tightening heart, and he chooses the easier option: flee.

-

He is not followed.

-

Some would call Sasuke a coward. Sasuke definitely calls himself that. He had his brother right in front of him – and now, perhaps, they will never meet again. Sasuke’s not entirely sure if he’s feeling regretful or not. Right now, he arrives in Suna, ignores the atmosphere thick with anxiety, and finds an inn. When night falls, he cannot sleep, and instead paces in his room. Morning comes and goes, and Sasuke falls asleep in the chair by the window. He is woken up several hours later by the commotion outside.

It’s the blond boy, Uzumaki, and the silver-haired man who called Sasuke Obito. The pink-haired girl and the other boy are nowhere to be seen, but the other two have been joined by a redhead, who is being cheered at by the people of Sunagakure. Sasuke relaxes in his seat and watches the festivities placidly, mind still whirling. He doesn’t notice when he dozes off, forehead pressed against the window.

It’s a knock that wakes him up again. He rises, yawning, and picks up a kunai out of habit. He thinks it’s probably the maid, coming to clean up. He opens the door.

The silver haired man is there, his single visible eye turned upwards in a smile and one hand in a wave. “Yo,” he says.

Sasuke stares at him as the last vestiges of sleep dissipate. “It’s you.”

“It’s me,” the man replies.

Sasuke twirls his kunai on his index finger. “What do you want?”

The man’s eye flickers to the kunai, before raising both hands in a show of submission. “No need for that. I’m not here to fight.”

“Is that so?” Sasuke asks.

The man nods, and Sasuke stares at him. After a minute of silence, the man says, “Aren’t you going to invite me inside? It’s pretty chilly out here.”

Sasuke blinks and looks outside. It’s still daytime in the desert. “I’ve not been raised well, I’m afraid, so that’s a no,” Sasuke replies.

“Too bad,” the man says cheerfully and pushes past him. The movement catches Sasuke by surprise and he grabs onto the other man’s arm, pushing him into the wall. The man is still relaxed – as if expecting this.

“Who are you?” Sasuke demands, pressing his kunai to the other ninja’s throat as his Sharingan is activated.

“Hatake Kakashi, Jounin of Konoha. And an honorable guest of Sunagakure, so don’t kill me,” Kakashi replies, still smiling.

“And what do you want, Hatake?” Sasuke asks.

“I want to know your name,” Kakashi says.

The Sharingan can tell lies; this is not one of them. Sasuke begrudgingly releases the Jonin, and backs away slowly. “Why?”

“I’m a mystery sort of person. When I see one, I want to solve it,” Kakashi replies.

“I’m not a mystery to solve, Hatake,” Sasuke warns him.

“I beg to differ,” Kakashi says. “You’re an Uchiha – that’s obvious. I mistook you for a different Uchiha when we first met. Didn’t I?”

“I wouldn’t know,” Sasuke replies, tense, “because I don’t know any Uchiha.”

Kakashi thinks it over. “That’s true enough, I suppose. Except for Uchiha Itachi.”

Sasuke blinks. “Who?”

For the first time in their discussion, Kakashi is taken off-guard. “You’re not lying.”

Sasuke doesn’t react. There’s no point in giving this strange man any more reason to question him. Kakashi hums.

“I see. May I ask where you were born?”

“You may not,” Sasuke grits out.

“Ah, that’s okay,” Kakashi chuckles, “because I know already.”

“Is that so?”

“You’re from Konoha,” Kakashi declares, resuming his previous smile.

“And how do you figure that?” Sasuke asks, fingers tightening over his kunai.

“Uh, many things,” Kakashi begins. “First of all, you’ve got the skin tone of someone from Konoha. In no other places will you find your shade.”

“But you said that you’re from Konoha,” Sasuke challenges, “you and your… teammates hardly resemble me.”

“That’s right,” Kakashi nods in agreement. “We don’t look alike. But you have the Sharingan, and were able to suppress the Kyuubi,” Kakashi continues genially, “and you also really look like Uchiha Itachi. The man from yesterday. You looked like you recognised him.”

Sasuke doesn’t have time to reply, because Kakashi is already talking. “And I know why you recognised him. You’re Uchiha Sasuke.”

The words don’t have time to come out of his mouth before Sasuke finally throws the kunai and launches towards the window, breaking the glass as he slams through it. He rolls to a stop on the ground, ignoring the shocked villagers, and looks at Kakashi. The shinobi is watching him from the window, and says, “I’m faster than you. Don’t run, or I’ll catch you.”

Sasuke scoffs, and runs. Kakashi is not faster than him.

-

Upon some introspection, Sasuke doesn’t know why he ran from Kakashi. He thinks it’s a combination of instinct and a mistrust of people trained into him. Regardless, it’s too late. Kakashi lost his trail several hours ago, and Sasuke is drifting again, bitter at the fact that he didn’t have time to be a tourist in Suna.

Another time, perhaps.

-

Sasuke’s not risking going into any towns yet. After all, Hatake might be back with reinforcements. He lies low, sleeping in caves or in trees when he can. Eventually, he runs out of supplies, so he’s forced to take a few jobs to earn some money. He learns where he can find jobs for shinobi, and he stops working menial tasks for civilians. These missions are more suited for him – theft, assassination, reconnaissance. He knows these skills better than he knows his own name.

It’s around this time that he starts having nightmares. It’s always the same one – the setting is a village, and everything is black, red, and grey. His brother is usually there (Itachi, as Hatake had said – Sasuke now knows that is his brother’s name), but he often does nothing. He just sits, watching. It’s the other two people Sasuke is concerned about – a beautiful woman with hair just like his, and a stern looking man, who only has eyes for Itachi. They both die, without fail.

Sasuke’s not stupid. His memory of events before Orochimaru is foggy at best, but he knows that these dreams are about the Uchiha Massacre. In any case, he tries ignoring them, but they affect his performance in the field. His lack of sleep catches up to him quickly, and on a routine recon mission he stumbles in battle.

Sasuke is captured.

-

He doesn’t really know who is holding him, and doesn’t really care. All Sasuke knows is that he must escape. Unfortunately, his captors are prepared, and they give him no opportunities. Sasuke sits in a dark, damp cell, often drugged, drifting between sleep and consciousness. Sometimes, they interrogate him, but he’s often too spaced out to reply.

“Well, Uchiha,” says one of his captors, “we’ve sent your organization a ransom letter. It’s in your best interest that they accept our terms.”

Sasuke tries to speak, but the drugs mostly inhibit him from stringing sentences together. “Organi-zation?” he mumbles, head lolling forward slightly.

“Those Akatsuki fellas,” the man replies, chuckling. “Terrifying folk. But I reckon they won’t want to lose Uchiha Itachi.”

“’m not Itachi,” Sasuke mumbles in reply, closing his eyes. “’m Sasuke.”

His captor blinks. Then he grabs onto Sasuke’s throat and pushes his head against the wall. “What did you say?” he hisses.

“Sasuke,” Sasuke says breathily, eyes half-lidded.

“Boss.”

The man holding Sasuke looks up, and Sasuke sags under his hold. Another man is at the bars to his cell, holding a scroll.

“They’ve replied. They’re saying Uchiha Itachi is not in our possession.”

The hand around Sasuke’s throat loosens, and the boss turns around to look at him thoughtfully. “He’s an Uchiha, that’s for sure,” he says, “those eyes don’t lie.” Sasuke’s chin is lifted with one finger. “He’s not Uchiha Itachi.”

“Who is he then?”

Sasuke blinks blearily and tries to smirk. “Sa’ske.”

“Uchiha Sasuke,” the man in front of him says. “That’s his name.”

-

Eventually, the two move away from Sasuke to have a discussion. If Sasuke tries hard, he can make out a few words, but nothing that would help him understand the situation better. His head is very foggy, but if there’s an upside to the drugs, it’s that the nightmares have stopped.

Sasuke can’t tell how much time he’s been here for. It could very well have been a day – although he doubts it – or even a year. Once his captors have realized he’s not his brother, though, they’ve mostly left him alone.

So, drugged as he is, Sasuke doesn’t hear the screams. He doesn’t hear people fighting, and doesn’t notice the blood splatter on the wall outside his cell. He doesn’t notice his cell door opening, and someone crouching down, taking his pulse. He doesn’t notice his savior’s relieved sigh.

He only notices when he is freed of his shackles. His eyes blink open and with some difficulty they focus on the face in front of him.

A bit dopily, he grins.

-

Itachi doesn’t let him out of his sight. It becomes annoying as Sasuke regains more of his motor functions, but it’s also endearing. Although Sasuke can’t remember much of their previous relationship, Itachi clearly does, and tries his best to be a doting older brother. They avoid speaking of the past. Sasuke tries to hide his lack of memories, but he inevitably fails once Itachi reaches for his forehead, two fingers outstretched.

Sasuke dodges, and doesn’t notice the brief flash of hurt on Itachi’s face. Instead, he asks, amused, “What’s that about?”

“What do you mean?” Itachi asks, watching Sasuke like a hawk.

“The thing,” Sasuke elaborates, gesturing towards Itachi’s hand. “With the poking.”

A strange expression falls on Itachi’s face. “You don’t remember?”

Sasuke tenses, reluctant to admit his faulty memory to his brother. He chooses to stay quiet, busying himself with the campfire.

“Sasuke.”

His brother’s voice is stern, and Sasuke can’t help but turn to look at him. Itachi’s Sharingan is activated, a sure sign that he’s looking for lies, and Sasuke clenches his jaw.

“Don’t you remember?”

“I…” Sasuke flounders a bit, “I do. But – uh, not that part.”

“You’re lying,” Itachi responds immediately.

“Don’t do this, Itachi,” Sasuke pleads, turning back to the campfire.

“Sasuke, I haven’t asked this yet, but I need to know.” Itachi’s voice is serious, and there’s no room for argument. “What happened after you disappeared from Konoha? I thought you dead for so many years.”

Sasuke doesn’t reply; Itachi hits him over the head. “Sasuke.”

Stubbornly, Sasuke moves away from Itachi, and says, “Drop it.”

“Sasuke!” Itachi suddenly erupts. Sasuke flinches when his brother grabs his shoulders and turns him around forcefully. “You didn’t know who I was!”

“What are you talking about?” Sasuke demands, pulling himself away forcefully.

“When we met again,” Itachi explains patiently, but through gritted teeth. “You – it took you time to recognize my face.”

“It’s been years,” Sasuke argues, “and you didn’t recognize me right away either!”

“That’s because the last time I saw you, you were not grown,” Itachi replies. “You should’ve known me right away! I made sure –“ Itachi stops suddenly. “You didn’t recognize me,” he concludes.

Looking away, Sasuke clenches his jaw but says nothing.

“Sasuke,” Itachi urges, more softly. “Please.”

Sasuke sighs. “I – don’t remember much. From before.”

Itachi guides him to a log, and Sasuke sits down, interlocking his fingers under his chin. When Itachi says nothing, Sasuke takes that as a sign to continue.

“I didn’t remember your name,” Sasuke says, “but I remembered your face, vaguely. It was your Sharingan that really triggered my memory.”

“What about,” Itachi says quietly, “mother and father?”

Sasuke sighs deeply. “I remember their faces, but partly because I’ve been having dreams of them. I don’t remember their names or personalities. It’s been too long.”

“No,” Itachi disagrees, “you couldn’t have forgotten mother or father.”

“How do you know that?” Sasuke challenges. “I was eight; and hardly in a position to think clearly.”

Itachi flinches. “I know because the genjutsu I put you under would not have allowed you to forget.”

Sasuke blinks. “I… can’t recall a genjutsu. Everything from before is unclear.”

“From before _what_ ,” Itachi stresses, leaning forward, “what happened to you?”

Sasuke bites his lip. “I was not in Konoha.”

“I know.”

Sasuke chuckles darkly. “Did the news of my disappearance get around, then? I’ve always assumed no one noticed.”

Itachi shakes his head, more to himself than for Sasuke’s benefit. “No. No one outside the Hokage and a few others knew you had even survived…”

“The Massacre,” Sasuke concludes, and frowns at Itachi’s flinch. “I know it happened, Itachi. We don’t have to dance around it.”

“And yet, you are not furious; you do not hate me,” Itachi says.

“No,” Sasuke shrugs. “It’s difficult to hate you for killing people I am not attached to.”

“You were,” Itachi assures him, “very attached to our parents, Sasuke. You might not remember, but you loved our mother. And you loved father, as well.”

Sasuke feels something tightening in his chest. He doesn’t like it. “Regardless,” Sasuke says, ignoring the deep longing at the idea of _family_ , “this doesn’t change the fact that I don’t. Anymore.”

Itachi looks at Sasuke and some new darkness is in his eyes. “I am sorry,” he murmurs. “I’ve deprived you of people who love you.”

Sasuke raises an eyebrow and looks at his brother. Itachi looks back, regret on his face. Sasuke smirks a bit. “Hardly. I’ve got you, after all.”

Itachi tries to smile back, and Sasuke pretends not to notice the sudden flash of guilt in his brother’s eyes.

-

Sasuke once wakes up in the middle of the night. Quietly, he rises from his bedroll, and approaches Itachi, who is writing something fervently. A bit of grass crunches under Sasuke’s foot, and Itachi immediately rolls up his scroll and looks up. “Sasuke. You’re awake.”

“Nightmare,” Sasuke murmurs, rubbing his forehead. “I’ll take over this watch. You can sleep.”

Itachi sketches a smile, but refuses the offer. “You need it more than I do, otouto.”

Sasuke snorts. “We both know that’s not true. You hardly sleep.”

Itachi smiles, which is such a rare act that Sasuke is stunned with how much smiling softens his brother’s features. “May be, but you’re still a growing boy.”

Sasuke scowls. “One day,” he promises fervently, “I’ll be taller than you. And you’ll regret not getting your beauty sleep when you needed it.”

“I’d like to see that day,” Itachi replies mockingly, but underneath his voice is a tone of longing.

Sasuke chuckles softly. “Me too.”

-

Sasuke and Itachi travel together for a while. It’s never guided by any overarching purpose, but Sasuke enjoys the time spent with his brother. So it is a shock when he wakes one morning to find Itachi gone. A cold hand grips Sasuke’s heart when he calls out, “Itachi?”

No one answers. All of Itachi’s things are still here, so Sasuke walks carefully through the forest, his sword at the ready, when he stumbles upon a clearing close by. Carefully, he scans the area for any chakra signatures – none. Swallowing in apprehension, Sasuke inches forward, Sharingan activated, when he spots it. Blood.

Immediately, his heart begins racing in fear, as he follows the trail of blood. It leads back into the forest, and then through a narrow pathway through the trees, leading into a cave. Sasuke walks slowly and close to the ground until he reaches the end of the trail. His heart stops.

There’s a much larger puddle of blood. A pair of feet is soaking in the blood, the painted toenails covered in the viscous liquid. Sasuke’s eyes move over the body in trepidation.

It’s Itachi. He knows that, in his gut, Itachi is in front of him, dead. His face is burned beyond recognition, as well as some hair near his forehead, but everything else is the same. His cloak is tattered, and his mouth is open in a silent scream. Itachi’s necklace has left burn marks on his collarbone.

Sasuke cries. He only later discovers that his eyes are bleeding. He only later discovers that his Mangekyo has awoken.

-

Sasuke doesn’t quite know how he managed to bury his brother. It’s after the funeral that Sasuke comes back to himself, clutching at the soil beneath his feet, hunched over. His lungs are painful with every breath because he hasn’t stopped sobbing heavily for a while. He rises and brushes away his tears.

Sasuke convinces himself that nothing’s changed. He’s been alone for so long. The companionship he found in his brother was just a pleasant interlude, that’s all.

Sasuke’s never been a good liar.

-

Sasuke continues drifting.

**Author's Note:**

> i was listening to 'People Ain't No Good' at the end scene. it fits.


End file.
